S05.E13: Pudding and A Screen Door

[paulvdb]

Quote

Jill returns from her wellness retreat a changed woman, but Bonnie is offended when she refuses to pay for lunch. Also, Christy's plans for the future are thrown off track following disappointing news.

[Tenarife60]

I thought Christy might go back to drinking again.  It was nice to see Jill return.

[jewel21]

I really thought Christy was going to start drinking again as well. I wonder what she's doing to do now that she hasn't been accepted into law school? I really felt for her character.

Jill looked amazing. I can't believe the actress lost all that baby weight in such a short period of time. Especially since she had twins in RL.

Wendy crying again was funny. And I loved her coming to the communal table with three drinks that she accidentally ordered instead of food, heh.

[bichonblitz]

Awwww Christy needs a break. Hope something good happens for her. Where was the boyfriend to console her? Did they break up? 

Great to see all the girls together! 

[sugarbaker design]

10 hours ago, bichonblitz said:

Great to see all the girls together! 

Same here, they have great chemistry, when one is missing something is way off!

At least an annoying plot point was fixed.  I get Jill picking up everybody's tab, but Marjorie's their sponsor, she should've said to the girls it's not fair that Jill picks up the tab, if we can't afford The Bistro then we should go somewhere else more affordable.  I can see other addicts/alcoholics making that mistake but not a sponsor.

[hnygrl]

I love that Jill put an end to the ATM game. Seriously. Just because she's rich doesn't require her to pay and pay and pay. I applauded when she left that check in the middle of the table, and loved her even more when she flatly refused to pay any checks but her own after that. Disappointed me that everybody was mad at her for not being their money machine anymore, and like sugarbaker design said, Marjorie should've said something YEARS ago but nooooo....SHE is enjoying the benefits as well. Sad.

My heart broke for Christy.  It seriously sucks that the one thing you've wanted, the dream of your life, you discover you're not smart enough to make work. I really hope she doesn't let this stop her, but takes the LSAT again. With better scores, she's got a better shot of getting in somewhere. It would be too sad if she just...gave up.

One young man I've seen grow up always wanted to be a Doctor. All he ever talked about. 

He failed the MCAT.

TWICE.

He gave up and joined the Air Force. Never did become a doctor. 

[bad things are bad]

I was kind of shocked that Christy didn't get in to law school, only because it's been implied on the show that she's pretty bright. Even her half brother said she'd make a good lawyer.

But probably a blessing in disguise since we've apparently have a lawyer surplus these days. 

[candall]

I notice the photos in the opening have been changed so that half of them are Allison Janney, which is fine because she's terrific (although I miss Christy collapsed around the stripper pole.)

But WHY do I have to listen to Bonnie chew, slurp or talk with her mouth full in every single episode??

[iMonrey]

Quote

I was kind of shocked that Christy didn't get in to law school, only because it's been implied on the show that she's pretty bright. Even her half brother said she'd make a good lawyer.

And yet - it's probably more realistic this way, given her background. All the "kids" she was hanging out with afterwards were college-aged, or thereabouts. Her experience and trajectory towards this maybe doesn't lend itself to acceptance into law school no matter how she scored on tests. I do wonder where they'll go from here though. A relapse is still possible in her near future.

I'm not sure what led to Jill's epiphany about picking up the tab - possibly some sort of therapy at her spa, I suppose. But I wish she'd handled it better. She could have just said "look, guys, all I ordered was lemon water, and I know I usually pick up the tab here but I've come to the realization that I'm doing that out of insecurity." She didn't have to just play dumb and then lash out at them afterwards. That just left everyone angry and confused.

[illdoc]

55 minutes ago, candall said:

I notice the photos in the opening have been changed so that half of them are Allison Janney, which is fine because she's terrific (although I miss Christy collapsed around the stripper pole.)

Unless they changed again (didn't look at them yesterday), they changed in the beginning of the season, and half are NOT Bonnie. There is one photo of each of Christy, Jill, Marjorie, Bonnie and Wendy from their "less sober" days, plus a photo of Bonnie & Christy together at the end.

[LucyEth]

I think Jill could have handled not picking up the check differently and she said some really mean things to them.  Didn't like that at all.   What annoyed me more was Bonnie ordering a Rueben for that awful boyfriend of hers and Jill has been paying for it.  They ate several times at the bistro without Jill, they must have picked up their own check then.  How could Christy not get into law school?  I wish that didn't happen.  Hope they don't have her relapse over it.  I did enjoy not seeing Christy with what's his name from Wings.  She is adorable, writers,  please give her a good looking man her own age!!

[candall]

44 minutes ago, illdoc said:

Unless they changed again (didn't look at them yesterday), they changed in the beginning of the season, and half are NOT Bonnie. There is one photo of each of Christy, Jill, Marjorie, Bonnie and Wendy from their "less sober" days, plus a photo of Bonnie & Christy together at the end.

Oh!!  I have some facial recognition issues, and a really low-def tv. 

: )

[Blakeston]

Christy 

2 hours ago, hnygrl said:

I love that Jill put an end to the ATM game. Seriously. Just because she's rich doesn't require her to pay and pay and pay. I applauded when she left that check in the middle of the table, and loved her even more when she flatly refused to pay any checks but her own after that. Disappointed me that everybody was mad at her for not being their money machine anymore, and like sugarbaker design said, Marjorie should've said something YEARS ago but nooooo....SHE is enjoying the benefits as well. Sad.

Marjorie's competence as a sponsor seems to vary based on whatever's convenient for the plot. A lot of the time she's completely on the ball, but other times she's oblivious (like when she had no problem with Bonnie taking opiate painkillers).

If Christy's grades/LSAT scores weren't good enough for her to get in to any of the schools she applied to, she should have seen it coming, or at least known it was likely. Law school admission isn't a crapshoot - if you know your grades and test scores, and the median grades and test scores of admitted students at the schools you applied to, you should have a pretty good idea what your chances are.

I guess it's possible she was deluding herself into thinking she had a better shot than she did. ("Yeah, my grades and LSATs are bad, but my personal essay is great!")

[iMonrey]

But are LSAT scores and grades the sole determining factor in admittance? For example, it's quite possible a school has only so many openings, and they might have to prioritize based on other criteria. If Christy is in the top 20 based on her scores and grades but doesn't meet the other criteria, she could get bumped. It could be other things like extra-curricular activities, AP classes, community involvement, job experience, etc. Even age.

[sugarbaker design]

2 hours ago, candall said:

I notice the photos in the opening have been changed so that half of them are Allison Janney, which is fine because she's terrific (although I miss Christy collapsed around the stripper pole.)

I think the pictures are of Bonnie, Christy, Jill, Wendy and Marjorie at the height of their respective active addiction/alcoholism.  Wendy is in her nurse's scrubs, Marjorie looks like a homeless woman, Jill, well, looks like Jill!

41 minutes ago, Blakeston said:

If Christy's grades/LSAT scores weren't good enough for her to get in to any of the schools she applied to, she should have seen it coming, or at least known it was likely.

Agree.  It's going to be interesting to see how it plays out, does she continue in her quest to become a lawyer?  or does she adapt, lower her goals and go the paralegal route?

[Lily H]

I thought Christy's grades have been quite good. I remember one episode where she had made the dean's list. Did we ever find out what her LSAT score was?

[Blakeston]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

But are LSAT scores and grades the sole determining factor in admittance? For example, it's quite possible a school has only so many openings, and they might have to prioritize based on other criteria. If Christy is in the top 20 based on her scores and grades but doesn't meet the other criteria, she could get bumped. It could be other things like extra-curricular activities, AP classes, community involvement, job experience, etc. Even age.

LSATs and grades aren't the sole criteria, but they're a huge part of it. Things like extracurriculars and community involvement don't matter nearly as much in law school admissions as they do for undergraduate admissions.

I suppose they could go down a road where Christy finds out that her grades and LSATs were good enough, but her criminal record was the problem. But if she has an extensive criminal record, she should have known that would be a major issue re: getting into law school.

Edited March 2, 2018 by Blakeston

[hnygrl]

2 hours ago, Lily H said:

I thought Christy's grades have been quite good. I remember one episode where she had made the dean's list. Did we ever find out what her LSAT score was?

Not the actual number, but in episode one of this season she and Bonnie were celebrating because she got an "average" score, which (thank you Google) is around 150, scores going from 120 to 180. But to get into the top 20 law schools you need at least a 160. Not saying she was trying to get into a...wait,...Stanford was on the list so yeah, she was...but that last school is kinda everybody's safety school cause they take everyone and her grades/scores weren't even good enough to get into a crappy school, so I'm thinking they were on the lower end of average.

[DrSparkles]

I’m thinking the law school story isn’t over.

[SmithW6079]

The restaurant they eat at every week is supposed to be fancy? I thought it was just a local diner. 

[Maharincess]

Me too. I never understood why they called it a bistro. It looks like any corner diner on any block. 

[possibilities]

I thought it was fine for Jill to stop paying the tab, but her then complaining about going someplace the others could afford was seriously dickish behavior.

I did think it was an opportunity to explore how friendships work in situations like that, where resources vary significantly. But it looks like they didn't want to go that route.

[MaryMitch]

10 hours ago, Maharincess said:

Me too. I never understood why they called it a bistro. It looks like any corner diner on any block. 

They can charge more if it's called a bistro. ;-)

The only thing that separates it from being "just a corner diner" is that they have wine there. This might not be unusual for a diner in California, but it is where I live (Tennessee). 

[Gothish520]

15 hours ago, SmithW6079 said:

The restaurant they eat at every week is supposed to be fancy? I thought it was just a local diner. 

 

13 hours ago, Maharincess said:

Me too. I never understood why they called it a bistro. It looks like any corner diner on any block. 

Yeah, they need to upgrade the decor and the waitstaff uniforms if they want to consider that place at all upscale, lol. 

[Maricopa]

I bet Christy will keep pursuing law school, maybe become a paralegal in the meantime. At least now she has completed undergrad! And I'm here in LA, land of all kinds of crappy lawyers -- many of whom went to truly substandard law schools. For example, when I needed an one with less than the best ethics to hold onto a tax return "for audit" to keep it out of my ex's grubby paws, I googled "crooked lawyer" "Santa Monica" and there were quite a few! The first one I called was happy to do it for one hour's pay; he had his JD from some BS online-only law school. 

I'm sure she can get in somewhere. Also I took a seminar on public speaking from the big DUI attorney in LA (he's learned to present himself VERY effectively in ads and has 12 offices in CA, one of them near Christy, wouldn't that be funny?) -- yet he attended two undergrad programs without graduating and then somehow got a JD from the San Fernando College of Law, which has very low LSAT standards...like 120-30.  I doubt Christy's would have been that low.

[Sarah 103]

I wonder if Christy can work for a year, study (with some type of prep course) retake the LSAT, and try to get into law school next year. 

Edited March 3, 2018 by Sarah 103

[SmithW6079]

6 hours ago, MaryMitch said:

They can charge more if it's called a bistro. ;-)

The only thing that separates it from being "just a corner diner" is that they have wine there. This might not be unusual for a diner in California, but it is where I live (Tennessee). 

Diners in New York serve wine too.

[chocolatine]

On 3/1/2018 at 10:29 PM, jewel21 said:

Jill looked amazing. I can't believe the actress lost all that baby weight in such a short period of time. Especially since she had twins in RL.

Jaime Pressly wore a fat suit in the first part of the season. We don't know how much actual baby weight she'd gained.

On 3/2/2018 at 2:47 PM, Blakeston said:

I guess it's possible she was deluding herself into thinking she had a better shot than she did. ("Yeah, my grades and LSATs are bad, but my personal essay is great!")

She thought there was a chance she would get into Stanford, so I'll say she was definitely deluding herself.

On 3/3/2018 at 2:45 PM, Gothish520 said:

Yeah, they need to upgrade the decor and the waitstaff uniforms if they want to consider that place at all upscale, lol. 

Christy said they were spending $15 per person there, which for Northern California is not upscale. A sandwich/salad/soup, plus dessert, plus a cup of tea/coffee, plus tip - $15 actually sounds reasonable. "Upscale" is where you pay upwards of $20 just for an entree, like the restaurant where Christy used to work.

Am I the only one who thinks not getting into law school is a blessing in disguise? If Christy goes to law school, she'll be in her mid-forties when she graduates with a mountain of debt. Since she wants to "help people" she'll probably end up working as a public defender and never make enough money to live comfortably. She needs to go to her college's career office; they'll help her figure out where to go from here.

[Nessie]

On 3/1/2018 at 10:29 PM, jewel21 said:

Jill looked amazing. I can't believe the actress lost all that baby weight in such a short period of time. Especially since she had twins in RL.

Jill did look amazing.  I loved her entrance lighting and music...I want that every time I enter a room.  But she's been gone 3 months and she said she lost 115 lbs?  Yeah, not possible without surgery - and I'm not talking gastric bypass.  I know it's nitpicky, but for a show that seems to pride itself on realism in depicting substance abuse, that seemed irresponsible.

On 3/2/2018 at 2:34 PM, LucyEth said:

I think Jill could have handled not picking up the check differently and she said some really mean things to them.  Didn't like that at all.   What annoyed me more was Bonnie ordering a Rueben for that awful boyfriend of hers and Jill has been paying for it.  They ate several times at the bistro without Jill, they must have picked up their own check then.  

This really confused me.  Like you said, they've eaten at the bistro a lot while Jill was away. They had to have paid for it themselves.  Ok, so maybe they order more when they think Jill is going to pick up the tab, but that doesn't mean a crappy cafeteria is their only other option.  Just order less at the bistro...I assume that's what they've been doing while Jill's been gone, unless she left her credit card on file.  Or were they just trying to guilt Jill into paying again?

[qtpye]

11 hours ago, Nessie said:

Jill did look amazing.  I loved her entrance lighting and music...I want that every time I enter a room.  But she's been gone 3 months and she said she lost 115 lbs?  Yeah, not possible without surgery - and I'm not talking gastric bypass.  I know it's nitpicky, but for a show that seems to pride itself on realism in depicting substance abuse, that seemed irresponsible.

This really confused me.  Like you said, they've eaten at the bistro a lot while Jill was away. They had to have paid for it themselves.  Ok, so maybe they order more when they think Jill is going to pick up the tab, but that doesn't mean a crappy cafeteria is their only other option.  Just order less at the bistro...I assume that's what they've been doing while Jill's been gone, unless she left her credit card on file.  Or were they just trying to guilt Jill into paying again?

Yeah, Christy only got soup or chili in the crappy cafeteria, so she could do the same in the "bistro"?

Quote

Am I the only one who thinks not getting into law school is a blessing in disguise? If Christy goes to law school, she'll be in her mid-forties when she graduates with a mountain of debt. Since she wants to "help people" she'll probably end up working as a public defender and never make enough money to live comfortably. She needs to go to her college's career office; they'll help her figure out where to go from here.

I agree, the law is not the lucrative profession that it once was and surely Christy can get a decent job with her undergrad.  I wish they had her learn computer programming instead, since that is a field that is in really high demand.

[wendyg]

I would think she could still train as a paralegal. Or get some advice on courses to take (or paid/volunteer work) to improve her profile for another try. There's nothing wrong with applying to one school you don't think you can get into. Other than losing the cost of the application, the worst that happens is they said no. She was realistic enough to expect not to get in - the only school she thought she could be sure of was North Valley.

But I loved the thing with her holding the glass and the phone call. From sober friends, I always hear that AA really does have those magical moments.

[qtpye]

Does anyone know what Christy's major was in college?

[Sarah 103]

1 hour ago, qtpye said:

Does anyone know what Christy's major was in college?

I don't know but I always figured it was pre-law because she wanted to be lawyer. 

[qtpye]

59 minutes ago, Sarah 103 said:

I don't know but I always figured it was pre-law because she wanted to be lawyer. 

Usually pre-law is a track and people have to declare a major, because it is not a major in itself.  However,  I do not know if I expect this show to be realistic like that.